Wednesday January 4, 2023
Garowe (HOL) - Puntland's Minister of Information, Eng. Mohamud Aydid Dirir rubbished a statement made by traditional elders of the Sool, Sanaag, and Ceyn regions (SSC), who recently announced the appointment of the new leadership for Khatumo state.
Speaking to the media in Garowe on Wednesday, Puntland's Minister of Information called the SSC elders' decision problematic, adding that elders cannot decide the future of the Sool region.
"We have seen how a decision made by a small group is bound to fail. The SSC was formed in 2009 and ended in Hargeisa," said Puntland's Minister of Information.
The minister said that the only option in Las Anod was to fight and that deliberations over the town's future would begin after its liberation from Somaliland.
Puntland state President Said Abdullahi Deni said on Monday that all political and military options were on the table for Puntland to solve the dispute in Las Anod.
"If Somaliland does not accept the calls of the people of Las Anod, who demand that Somaliland leave the town and the entire Sool region, Puntland is ready to take all possible actions," said Deni.
However, Somaliland President Muse Bihi responded to the Puntland's President, saying that Somaliland would defend its territory if one of Somalia's five regional administrations invaded. He claimed that the Somali federal government is assisting Puntland's President Deni in mobilizing against Somaliland.